A digital communication device of this kind is known from the European Patent Application EP 0 735 675 A2. The known device comprises an automatic frequency control (AFC) loop for adjusting the frequency of a local oscillator in accordance with a frequency offset between a frequency of the local oscillator and a desired tuning frequency. In order to avoid erroneous tuning to a strong adjacent channel, in such communication devices frequency offset compensation should only be done in a limited range. The known communication device has a temperature sensor so as take into account temperature effects the AFC control loop. Such a temperature sensor renders the communication device complicated. Besides, no measures are described for taking into account long term effects such as aging. Herewith, in the long run, the communication device can run out of its specifications.